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What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis is a pleasant state of peaceful and total relaxation. In this wonderful hypnotic relaxed state your awareness is heightened and your conscious mind is suppressed allowing your subconscious mind to be revealed. Your subconscious mind could be described as “nature's complex computer” that stores every feeling, memory, event and idea that you have experienced throughout your life. Just like a computer, your hypnotic subconscious mind will act in the way it's been programmed to act. Many of these ideas and actions were put in place during childhood, before we were able to distinguish between what is helpful to us and what isn't.

Hypnotherapy is not a state of deep sleep, more a state of complete relaxation where your awareness is heightened. We go through a state of hypnosis every night when we fall asleep. You may recognise it as the state in between sleep and wake; you can hear noises around you but are so relaxed that they seem to fade into the background. In this state it is possible to change old, unwanted patterns of behaviour, making lasting changes to your life.

What can hypnotherapy treat?

Hypnotherapy Myths and Facts

Hypnotherapy is safe. It is a natural state that you enter everyday when you engage your subconscious mind.

You are always in control. You cannot be made to say or do anything against your will. 
At any time you feel uncomfortable and want to terminate the session, you will be perfectly capable of doing so.

Can Hypnotherapy only work on certain people?
Everybody is capable of being hypnotised to some degree. The results will depend on your motivation, willingness and ability to concentrate. 

Can you can get stuck in hypnotherapy and be unable to wake up?
Hypnotherapy is a natural state that is not completely alien to us. You may be so relaxed that you fall asleep but you awaken naturally and your senses will return to their normal state.

How Does Hypnotherapy Work?

The following extract from Dr Hilary Jones' book “Doctor, What's the Alternative?” provides an accurate description of the process of hypnotherapy:

“Hypnosis is thought to work by altering our state of consciousness in such a way that the analytical left-hand side of the brain is turned off, while the non-analytical right-hand side is made more alert.  The conscious control of the mind is inhibited, and the subconscious mind awoken.  Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, more instinctive force than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change for the patient's behaviour and physical state to alter.

For example, a patient who consciously wants to overcome their fear of spiders may try everything they consciously can to do it, but will still fail as long as their subconscious mind retains this terror and prevents the patient from succeeding.  Progress can only be made be reprogramming the subconscious so that deep-seated instincts and beliefs are abolished or altered.”

Dr Hilary Jones, "Doctor, What's the Alternative?" Hodder and Stoughton : London (1988)